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"Should we eavesdrop?" Mera asked. The inner pup within me yearned to say yes. But the budding, more logical Luna part of me, chose the mature option instead.

"No," I replied. "They'd get mad if they caught us."

"The future Court of the Moon Warriors Pack should not act like such children," the two of us berated each other. We giggled at the brainless imitation of our mother's stern voices and left the Pack House together.

"Wanna come by and see my mom?" Mera ran her fingers through her dark brown fringe; a nervous tic from when we were children. Her short, boyish cut shined in the afternoon rays and I reached up to fix the textured hair.

"Later," I promised. "I wanna go to the river first and make sure none of the Mermaids got hurt."

My future Beta nodded her head, a thoughtful look overcoming her pale face. Nibbling the bottom of her wide lip, Mera's blue eyes met mine and a silent plea passed between us.

"I'll check on Syrena," I whispered. Many wolves were out and about on this bright day of sunshine. Clearing debris and chopping down the necessary wood needed to rebuild all that we'd lost. They were all too occupied with their own tasks to notice our hushed conversation. But I whispered anyway to ease Mera's jittery nerves. "Have you two talked since-"

"No." Mera picked at her black flannel before leaning down for my benefit. "I was gonna tell my parents last night but-"

"Say no more." Looping my arm through hers, I squared my shoulders and remembered my teachings. "Let this situation blow over first. Take care of your mom, make sure your baby brother's good, and support your dad."

Be a good Beta, I mind linked her. Singed houses and fallen trees passed us by as I escorted Mera home. I nodded to my fellow Pack members and loaned each of them a sliver of my power in return. Raw energy poured into them and they quickened their pace of reconstruction.

I would join them after my talk with Syrena.

I'm a Beta in training.

A Beta in training is still a Beta.

"You sound like your mom," Mera snorted. I glowed at the high praise and stood taller. Good. All of my lessons would've been for nothing if I didn't possess a fraction of my mother's Luna talent.

Thank you.

After a short spell of silence I asked, "Are you sure that Syrena's your Mate? You're not even 21 yet."

Some Mates found each other before they turned 21. But whether they were actually Mate's wasn't confirmed until they reached maturity. For wolves, that didn't happen until we were 21 years old.

"I'm sure," she sighed. "I've been sure ever since we were eighteen. Every year I get closer to 21, the stronger the urge to be with her gets. It physically hurts my heart not to have her so close all the time."

Mera leaned closer to me for comfort and I stroked the underside of her arm. It was an old trick from when we were children that had never failed to work. Rubbing my thumb into her wrist, I poured some of my power into her and soothed her hammering heart.

"And with my brother on the way..." Mera's eyes glossed over and I redirected our path to a secluded area so no one would see her. "I know it's selfish of me to say that. I know I shouldn't even be thinking it but..."

Mera trailed off at a loss for words and I frowned. I knew what she was saying without her even having to say it.

"Do you think your parents would ask you to give up your position as Beta?" It wouldn't be a surprise to me if they did and it would make complete sense for them to do so. Matters of the heart be damned, it was in their best interest to put the good of the Pack first. And if Mera's Mate actually did turn out to be Syrena, then that meant she had no heirs to give. Two women couldn't make a baby or carry on the lineage needed for succession.

"I think they'd let me keep it until he became old enough to take over," Mera admitted. Ducking her head, she steadied her breathing and I willed more of my motherly influence over her. Not one tear fell as she accepted my silent reassurances.

Putting aside the recent attack and talk of Rowena, I focused on the problem at hand and began to strategize.

Option One: Mera and Syrena were Mates.

Alright, not the first time this had happened. Same sex Mate's were common and not frowned upon. But, they were a cause for worry regarding Mera's special situation.

She was a member of the Court.

The Beta position could only be inherited by blood or by the Mate bond. The mantle couldn't be passed down any other way. If they chose the family path, any child Mera and Syrena adopted would be acknowledged as their heir. However, they would never be viable for the Beta position.

The power of the Beta's belonged to the Beta's just like the power of the Alpha's belonged to the Alpha's. And so on it went.

The only other way power could be shared was if one's Mate was of a lower rank. A Beta could Mate with an Omega and transform said Omega into a Beta with a bite. Then their strength and power would be equal and they'd be eligible to rule alongside the Court.

It's what Gamma Nicholos had to do after finding out his Mate was a Witch. Biting Gamma Fray not only gave her the strength of a Werewolf, but it bonded her to our Pack and people.

Option Two: Welcome an outsider or settle for a weaker Beta as her heir.

The inability to produce an heir meant looking elsewhere for someone to take over for her. That meant cousins, distant relatives, or anyone that had a strong claim to her chair. That process alone took years of proper vetting. Trying to settle on a candidate with the most strength, just morals, and dedication to the Court was no easy task.

Delta Snow and Delta Jared were still screening people for the open position. It'd been five years and there was still no hope in sight. If their search failed, then we'd have to ask someone from a neighboring Pack to take on the burden of Delta for us.

Which meant me, Mera, and Pride would have to accept an outsider into our fold after having grown up together.

Now, honestly speaking, Pride and I were never close. His personality was, unfortunately, very much like his name suggested him to be.

Too prideful.

Nonetheless, Pride was still my future Gamma and a damn good one at that. There was no one in the entire Pack who could do a job as well as he could and I admired him for his stubborn will. Hell, the only reason our loss of life wasn't in the double digits was because of his advanced hearing. He'd heard them coming miles away while on patrol and provided us with time to hide our young and prepare for a fight.

But back to the matter at hand, years wasted searching meant years of someone not learning. Which also meant years of an unfulfilled position and years of people looking at us as a weak Pack. And therein laid the biggest risk.

A Pack was only as strong as their Alpha and Luna. The Alpha and Luna were only as strong as their Court. If their Court was weak, then it reflected poorly on them.

For the past five years, with no Delta heir, our neighbors were quite vocal about our unbalanced Court. Mother and Father were doing well with the neighboring Packs that breached our lands. But, still. The vacancy of our Delta position didn't go unnoticed and it was a cause for concern.

We'd face the same issue if Mera stayed on as Beta in the future.

I'd face the same issue if Mera stayed on as Beta in the future...

Option Three: Have Mera concede to her brother.

This was the most logical, albeit unfair, option.

Mera and Syrena could have their peaceful life and a family free of judgement. The Beta position would never be vacant. There would be no questioning the Pack's power assuming by then we'd gotten our Delta.

Everything would be picture perfect.

There was just one problem.

Mera would never concede.

Ever.

And even if she wanted to, Pride and I wouldn't allow her to.

Pride and I rarely saw eye to eye on things. If it didn't have anything to do with the Court or the good of the Pack, odds were we'd be on opposing ends of matters. If I said the sky was blue then he'd say it was purple.

That's the kind of relationship we had.

Even so, the one thing that we'd always agreed on time and time again was that Mera deserved to be Beta.

She didn't spend twenty years training to take on the mantle as Beta of the Moon Warriors Pack for nothing. She had the most claim to her chair and she'd proven herself a model student.

Sighing, I ran a hand over my face. The weight on Mera's shoulders was beginning to shift to me the longer I took on the toll of comforting her. I could feel a crick in my neck from how she'd been walking with her head bent. Her heartache lingered within my own heart and I could taste her guilt on my tongue.

And the fear...

There was so much of it.

This burden of my gift was the one downside of being born a Luna. Our powers had limits and with it came a lot of give and take. A lot of which left more of an impact on us Lunas than it did the people we helped.

Last night, when I'd given my remaining strength to my Pack, I left myself vulnerable to a fatal attack. I could've died and left my parents childless. This morning, when I'd released more of my waning power to ease the hearts of those grieving, I'd endangered my health. The antidote of echinacea and hawthorn had only been in my system for a few hours. It hadn't had enough time to absorb the remaining silver poison. The sudden absence of my power meant slowing the process of healing for me.

A pang hit my stomach and I stiffened at the sudden feeling. The subtle reminder of my failure dampened my mood. How that Witch managed to sneak up and inject me with silver was beyond me. I didn't even sense her...

"Vi?" Mera's firm voice broke through the veil of self pity and I disregarded my own self-centered thoughts. Mera was a Pack member in need of my assistance. I didn't have time to rue my own failures. I needed to be there for her.

After all, it was extremely rare for her to lean on me like she was doing so now. I could count on one hand the amount of time's she'd turned to me for such comfort. Other than those few moments of weakness, she shouldered her burden like the rest of us and pushed on.

Meaning there was only one thing left to do.

"I have an idea," I began. Sitting on the steps of her wooden porch, I explained everything to her in detail. It wasn't too far-fetched of a solution. But, there was a possibility of people thinking the wrong thing. As people naturally tended to do.

"I don't know about that," Mera replied. Her dimming eyes shined with worry for me and I extended more of my power to her. The calming influence brought her natural blue light to the surface and I smiled. "People will think your family's trying to form a second monarchy."

"Maybe," I agreed. "But if the Alpha King accepts it, then all the other Packs will. No one would go against his word."

"And what makes you think he'd accept it?" I rolled my eyes at Mera's exasperated tone and held her hand.

"Being his favorite cousin does have some perks," I chuckled. It was ironic. In the midst of tragedy and the possibility of a brewing war, I laughed. How foreign the sound felt not only to hear but to release...

"But-"

"Don't worry about it," I interrupted her. As I stood, I drew my power back into me and the pushing in my abdomen eased somewhat. "Go inside and let me handle this, ok? I've got it."

Mera bit her lip but didn't fight me. I quietly rejoiced at the calm atmosphere encompassing her without the effect of my gift. "I'll come by after dinner to see your mom."

"Sounds good." Mera smiled and nodded her thanks. "Pray to the Moon Goddess for me, yeah? I've got border patrol with Pride later tonight."

I stifled my bubbling laugh and shook my head. Over my shoulder I called, "You know, you could always pray to her yourself!"

"No use!" Mera shouted back. "She listens to you more!"

Lies.

I quickly stripped behind a tree and shifted. Gathering my crumpled clothes in my large jaw, I sprinted towards the raging river in search of Mera's love.

Thank you, Vi.

No problem.

"Syrena!" At the sound of her name, the freshwater Mermaid emerged from the center of the rushing river. Her turquoise eyes narrowed at the sight of me and nodded towards her favorite rock. Fixing the strap of my bodysuit, I jogged towards the large gray slab. Cold water rushed over my bare feet as I navigated my way over the slick rocks and met her there. "Syrena-"

"Is she ok?" Worry enveloped her eyes. I could tell by the way her pupils dilated three times their usual size.

"She's ok." Syrena sighed a breath of relief before hoisting herself onto the rock. Her obsidian hued tail flapped against the dry surface and I admired the slight silver tinge. She pushed up the dark ringed clams covering her bosom and eyed me wearily.

"Why didn't she come then?" Insecurity whispered in the undertones of her voice and I yearned to extend some form of comfort to her too. But I couldn't. The heart of a Mermaid was almost as cold as the waters they inhabited at times. They had little room for love and affection. A sentiment that was only passed onto family and their chosen Mate. She wouldn't appreciate it if I loaned my gift to her. "Is it because we fought?"

"No," I reassured her. "Her mom was injured during the attack and things were a little rocky with the baby."

Syrena's cold face didn't even flinch at the mention of the ailing Beta and child. It used to confuse me how a creature could be so heartless when I was younger. As I grew older, I finally came to a better understanding of them. This was simply the way they were created.

No matter how heartless I or anyone else saw them as, they couldn't change what'd been hardwired into their system since the dawn of Creation.

"Is that it?"

I didn't pay any mind to her empty tone and replied, "She has other Pack duties to tend to as well. We need to rebuild. She also has border patrol with Pride."

Syrena rolled her eyes at the mention of the cocky Gamma-to-be and I smirked at that. Even Syrena and her Pod had a distaste for Pride. Which was surprising since Mermaids tended to "love" handsome men no matter what.

I wondered what that said about Pride if one of the oldest species of seduction refused to cast their favor on him...

"More Beta responsibilities," Syrena grumbled. I analyzed the way she flicked her short barbels with frustration. The strands of magenta sensory limbs attached to her head twitched. The singed ends curled inwards and I knew she was irritated. Her "hair" hung just above her shoulders and she looked away to hide her growing annoyance.

Mera once told me that I should be grateful Syrena was so "kind" to me considering she viewed me as a threat. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

But, compared to her saltwater cousins, she was actually being very polite. A saltwater Mermaid would've drowned me if I annoyed them the way my presence annoyed Syrena.

"This is her duty-"

"I thought her brother was taking over?" Syrena interrupted. I held my tongue and sat up straighter. I needed to be a little more firm with her.

"An unborn child cannot be Beta-"

"Yes, but in the future-"

"And," I continued. "Being Beta is one of the most important things to her. Mera's spent her entire life preparing for this role and she deserves it. I wouldn't have anyone else but her serving with me."

"And me?" Syrena snapped. "What about me? Where do I fit into this?"

Calming the fire building in my gut, I raised my chin and spoke with an even voice. "If you do end up being Mates, then there are a lot of options available."

"We can't have children-"

"There are other options," I countered. "If you accepted the role as Beta and joined our Pack, I could ensure a future heir so that Mera won't have to step down early."

Well, if my cousin allowed me to do what I wanted to do, that is.

"Like an adoption?"

"An informal one," I said. "Think of it more as a mentoring role. Mera would serve as Beta and simply train the wolf the Alpha King chooses to succeed her when the time comes."

"And when will that time come?" Syrena glanced my way again. Her empty eyes were full of nothing but color.

"When she's too old to carry on her responsibilities," I replied. "Or, when she dies."

Syrena sighed and chewed on her bottom lip. A habit she'd picked up from spending so much time with Mera, no doubt. "I don't want to leave my home."

The roaring of the river rose to a loud crescendo. It was as if the rushing freshwater was agreeing with the Mermaid's statement. The mixture of blues and white foam crashed against our shared rock. The beauty of the water called to her. I could see it in the longing of her eyes.

"You don't have to," I promised. "We can build you a new house right here if you want. You'd only have to attend urgent meetings. Honestly speaking, your main responsibility would be to support Mera in any way she needs it."

Syrena's barbels uncurled at the sound of my words. They hung straight as she dragged her hand through them. The scaled sensory limbs shuddered at her gentle touch and I knew I'd finally placated her.

"No one's asking you to leave," I reassured her. "Nor do we expect you to act like a Werewolf or take on wolf responsibilities."

Some Mates, like Gamma Fray, didn't mind playing a more active role in the Pack than simply giving moral support. But not everyone was like that and I understood. Syrena wasn't raised in Pack life like we were. I didn't expect her to give up her easy going Pod life because the Moon Goddess paired her with Mera.

That wasn't a fair request to make.

"Alright," Syrena said in a bored tone. "If we do end up being Mates, which I already know we are, then I'll join your Pack."

I beamed at her words while she herself remained completely stoic. Syrena splashed water over her tanned upper body, ignoring my expression of joy. I chuckled at the sight but didn't comment on it.

I liked Syrena.

Even if she didn't always like me.

I observed our surroundings for any signs of damage and was pleased to find none. "Everyone in your Pod ok?"

"Mhm," Syrena hummed. Her bored expression met my gaze once more as she said, "We were further down river when it happened. Didn't even know there was an attack until we saw your wolves trying to put the flames out."

"That's good." At the mention of the fire I was reminded of how much work we had to do. "I should get going then. I have to-"

"Thank you," Syrena murmured. "For being understanding about my situation."

I froze mid crouch, gaping at the stoic Mermaid like a fish out of water. Even in her moment of thanks she maintained her stoically unimpressed expression. What an interesting creature she was. Every time I thought I had her figured out, she went and threw me for a loop.

"It's no-"

"I don't like to be indebted to people," her honeyed voice interrupted me. Intellectual seduction flashed within her turquoise eyes. A small smirk played on her bright red lips. "So I'll tell you what I overheard the Witches discussing."

At the sound of valuable information I immediately sat back down and waited for her to continue.

"Ever heard of the Prophecy of Magick?" That was twice someone had mentioned this so-called prophecy before. Once in the meeting and now here. I nodded and Syrena asked, "How good is your memory?"

"Pretty good."

"Great. Then you'll have no trouble remembering it." Syrena's yearning gaze filled her eyes once more as she flapped her drying tail. "The age of Werewolves will descend when the Lion reaches his twenty-first year..."

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QOTD: What do you think of the [future] Luna Venus, Beta Mera, and Gamma Pride so far?